Consider the Thorns by Michelle Lynn Brown

Author:Michelle Lynn Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian women's fiction, christian romance, inspirational romance, inspirational women's fiction, contemporary romance, Christian Fiction, Spiritual Fiction, small town, clean romance
Publisher: Michelle Lynn Brown
Published: 2013-07-05T00:00:00+00:00

“In bed by eight,” Barbara told both her daughter and the babysitter, just as the phone rang. She saw it was Steve’s number. She hit decline and turned her phone on silent.

Kissing her daughter one last time, she slipped out the door to the garage. Her cell vibrated, and she saw Steve’s name again on the display.

She pulled out of the garage but stopped in the driveway as her phone pulsated again in the seat.

If she was going to get herself together, Steve needed to be far away from her. “Steve,” she shouted before he had a chance to say anything. “The kiss meant nothing; now let’s just move on, okay!”

“A kiss, huh?” Chloe’s voice came over the phone. “Now that explains your stormy moods lately.”

Barbara didn’t want to get into it with Chloe, and she wasn’t sure she could even explain it yet without breaking down in tears. “I just pulled out of the garage, and I’m running behind. I’ll see you at the restaurant.”

“All right, but don’t think you can avoid this discussion that we will have.”

“Fine.” Barbara’s words were harsher than she intended, but that seemed to be her slogan lately.

At the restaurant, she found her group of friends by the sound of their laughter. Sliding into her seat, she could see she was the last one to arrive.

The five women had been friends since college. Though they were a tight-knit group, none had been as close to her as Chloe. Mary and Sandy were married now, and Kendra was engaged, her wedding just a month away. Chloe had been dating Chase for almost a year now, but she wouldn’t be surprised if an engagement was pending. Her heart sunk as she realized she would soon be the only one without a husband.

Not that I’d be an enthusiastic participant in marriage.

“Barb!” Mary’s gasp pulled her from her morose thoughts. “Isn’t that the author you’re dating?”

She followed Mary’s gaze and saw Tristan sitting across from a lovely blonde woman, his hand affectionately over hers.

Anger, jealousy, hurt...none of these emotions came. He had been on her doorstep earlier with roses, and now he was holding hands with another woman. I should be furious, or at least a little indignant! Instead, she was relieved that he was moving on, confirming the cold state of her heart.

Barbara shrugged and said, “We broke up. Today actually.”

“I’m sorry,” Sandy said, placing her hand atop Barbara’s.

“Don’t be,” she said taking a sip of her drink. Her nonchalant attitude caused everyone’s jaw to drop, except Chloe.

“How can you just be so calm about it?” Kendra gasped. “He’s over there with another woman!”

“You must have ice for blood!” There was no condemnation in Sandy’s words, but the cruel words of Marissa at the country club came back to her.

She covered her pain with a sarcastic retort. “Just because I don’t want to waste good mascara on a guy doesn’t mean I have a cold heart. We just didn’t work out together. And I don’t prescribe to wasting time on someone who isn’t going to be enough for me.

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